Comments made on 4/19/23

Late last month you testified in front Of the Appropriations Committee my Friend and colleague Mr reschenthaler Asked you about the mineral withdrawal In my district You said and I quote well we did a Mineral withdrawal in The Boundary Waters end quote Secretary Allan do you understand why This statement that you made under oath Is false Congressman it is my understanding that We made a decision in this area Madam Secretary I have to interrupt you do you Understand why this the answer that you Made under oath is false there is no Mining in the Wilderness Area And there was no mining in the Surrounding buffer zone either as the Secretary of the Interior and as a Former member of Congress on this Committee you should have known there Was never A proposal to mine in The Boundary Waters per the 1978 act secretary Allan Do you recognize the document behind me Um Would you like me do you recognize that Document Um for those that don't know it's the Updated list of critical minerals Released from your department last year Okay yes now do you recognize it yes Sorry okay in your exchange with Mr

Reschenthaler you said in reference to The minerals in the Superior National Forest that you banned and I quote I don't know what kind of minerals were There I don't think they were critical Minerals end quote Well as someone who works Lives And recreates there and as someone who Has the privilege of representing the People that live there let me tell you Those minerals include that you band Include nickel Cobalt Palladium Pat platinum and other Group metals again This is a list produced by your own Department Madam Secretary and you told Mr resenthaler that quote I don't think They were critical minerals that's Unbelievable Secretary Holland you claim the Withdrawal that you forced upon my Constituents is in The Boundary Waters That's wrong do you now understand Congressman I should have said that it Was The Boundary Waters Watershed okay So let me let that area Madam Secretary I only have so much time let me correct It you then you either misspoke Or misled in the testimony which was it Last week I should have added the word Watershed Congressman you don't think that the Withdrawal included critical minerals

Again that's wrong you you had to be Told that there were critical minerals It was only after the hearing That you made made the changes and today You're making the changes because you You had no idea when Mr resenthaler was Asking you you had no idea that the Withdrawal was not in the Boundary Waters and you had no idea that there Were critical minerals that you banned In The Boundary Waters so how can you as A secretary of material not know where Their Wilderness is and how can you not Know that your agency withdrew critical Minerals You own this decision to take offline Massive amounts of critical minerals we Need for everyday life and our strategic National Security your decision Madam Secretary is either purely political or Ignorance it's either ignoring your own Agency's research or a political move to Satisfy your radical anti-mining Activists This ill-informed decision has left the United States more dependent on China